Minneapolis, MN – On September 29, over 70 activists and community members showed up at the federal courthouse to demand that U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson immediately drop the charges against Isavela López.
López is facing up to eight years in prison after federal agents brutalized her during a protest against ICE this June. Prosecutor Rebecca Kline, on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, recently offered López a plea deal of 8 to 14 months in prison in exchange for avoiding trial. López has refused this deal, standing firm in her innocence and her right to protest. In retaliation, prosecutors are threatening her with a much harsher sentence of 46 to 57 months.
The rally was originally called because Isavela López was scheduled to have her first court appearance on that morning, and supporters were organizing to pack the courtroom and hold a protest outside. A week before, however, the magistrate cancelled the hearing and rescheduled López’s first day in court for November, when her trial will begin. Supporters believe that federal authorities may have learned of their plans and pushed for a cancellation in order to disrupt organizing efforts. The community came out anyway to stand in solidarity with López – a local poet, water protector and community organizer – in the face of blatant political repression at the hands of the Trump administration.
The courthouse rally was a spirited mix of dance, poetry and solidarity speeches. The program included Aztec dancers from Danna Ketzal, poems performed by local artists including López, speeches by activists and community members and attendees chanting in solidarity, “What do we want? Drop the charges! When do we want it? Now!”
Lopéz’s lawyer, Jordan Kushner, was one of the speakers at the rally. He urged the crowd, “It’s really important that people are here. What we need to recognize is that more than a legal struggle, this case is a political struggle. The decision to charge Isa with federal felonies was a political decision.”
Marcia Howard, the president of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators (MFE59) and a local organizer at George Floyd Square, spoke about the connection between the police and ICE saying, “They are bobbing and weaving through crowds, picking and choosing who they snatch up. Show them how Minneapolis gets down. For Isa and for every single one of our relatives – from this day until we get this shit done. Don’t blink!”
López addressed attendees with some brief words and then a poem. She said, “They take up a lot of people that look like me and they put them in cages – whether it be prisons, whether it be detention centers – it is the limiting of life, it’s the fact that we do not have the permission to grow and that is a violation to life itself.” She then read a powerful personal poem that she wrote about her ancestors, colonialism and healing. Other speakers represented the Indigenous Protectors Movement, Homegirlz for Isa, and others.
Participating groups included the Indigenous Protectors Movement (IPM), Homegirlz for Isa, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), and Indigenous Roots.
To participate in the national call-in to U.S. attorney Joseph Thompson, call to 612-664-5600 and demand he drop all four federal charges!
#MinneapolisMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #Indigenous #MIRAC #IPM
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